Experimental study of train-induced vibrations of environments and buildings

In this paper, the vibrations of environments and nearby buildings induced by running trains were studied through the in situ experiments at a bridge site and two buildings near railway lines. The results show that the vibration levels of the environmental ground and the building floors increase with train speed, while attenuating with the distance to the railway lines. There exists an amplifying zone of the ground vibration at certain distances to the railway track regarded as a line vibration source. For multi-story buildings, higher floors vibrate more strongly than lower ones. Heavier trains induce greater vibration than lighter trains. The measured acceleration levels for ground and buildings near the track were so big that it greatly exceeded the allowance given by the Chinese Code.